Being whole requires balance. If you have too much of an element it doesn't allow other elements to be included in the mix.

It got me thinking.

What examples of wholeness exist in nature? The night and day, sun and rain, the CO2 and Oxygen cycle. This lead to thinking about trees and how a tree is only perceived as what is above ground but the components below ground are equally important.

A tree is a good metaphor for a whole person, the roots representing the inner world and the leaves, branches and fruit representing the external world.

If our inner world is not healthy and thriving our external world becomes unbalanced and out of whack. If we are not conscious of what our inner world requires to be healthy we participate in activities in our external world which do not contribute to our wellbeing.

We may go to a social event with people who make us feel really uncomfortable and then drink too much to compensate for the feeling of discomfort. Or perhaps we spend too much money on an outfit we think we need in order to be accepted. Maybe we enroll our child in ballet classes even though she has expressed no interest in the art, but all the other kids are doing it and you don't want to feel like a bad parent.

Behaving in this way is like planting a rose bush in poor soil. The roses may bloom for one more season but the bush will soon become barren.

The roots of a plant are like your inner world. They must be strong and nourished with the right elements in order for the leaves and branches to be strong and robust with abundant blooms.

Ask yourself the question, "how does this external action feed my inner being?" "How is this action contributing or detracting from me being whole?" "Is this behavior nurturing my roots and helping my roses bloom?"